The Inevitable
by GeniusUndercover93
Summary: See story for Summary details.
1. Prologue Enough Is Enough

The Inevitable

By: GeniusUndercover93

Story Summary:

AU. Non-Massacre. Healthy Itachi. Uchiha Itachi, prodigy of the Uchiha Clan has been under an enormous amount of stress of late. With the Hyuuga Clan with their nosing and poking about, and the sheer amount of hope the Hokage of the Leaf, and his father, Uchiha Fugaku, placed upon his head as the savior of the Leaf, who could not break under pressure? So Itachi decides that enough is enough, and forges his own path, ignoring the pleading of the Hokage and Fugaku. His only weak spot: His little brother, Sasuke, and his Mother, Mikoto.

Disclaimer:

I do not, as much as I would like to, own Naruto.

***

Prologue: Enough Is Enough

Uchiha Itachi was under pressure. Not like the kind of pressure that young incompetent teenagers complained of, like schoolwork and chores; but true pressure. The pressure of having the whole world, or in this case Village, placed in your hands. The pressure of having hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives placed upon your shoulders. You would think one's mind would crack from the sheer amount of pressure placed upon them. But Itachi was no normal person. He was Uchiha Itachi, famed prodigy of the Uchiha Clan, and, it seemed, Konoha's only hope to peace.

Autumn in Konohagakure is the epitome of peace and tranquility. Besides the numerous ninja guarding the entrance gates of the Village, there was none that could say that Konoha was not a peaceful Village. Leaves of various colors, ranging from bright yellow, to a dull brown, drifted on the fall winds, lazily cutting through the cold, crisp morning. It was a cloudless day, the sun's golden rays just topping Hokage's Mountain, streams of warm light, shifting ever so softly through trees' bare branches on the isolated Hidden Village of the Leaf. Children could be found inside their warm, cozy homes, wearing their thumbs out on the latest editions of GameBoys. Adults could be seen sitting around the fireplace, chatting animatedly about the latest gossip. But deep within the Village, in the Uchiha District, named appropriately for the famous Clan of Uchiha, a teenager and his father could be seen outside their mansion, arguing.

"You have a duty to the Village's people, Itachi, and you will fulfill it to the best of your ability." Uchiha Fugaku said to his son, Uchiha Itachi. Itachi looked up at his father and muttered savagely,

"I owe no duty to the Village's people, Father. They have done nothing for me to perform some duty the Hokage and yourself has schemed of." Fugaku lashed out at Itachi, intending on teaching him to mind his elders, but his attack was parried, and he was staring into the blood red depths of a three-pronged Sharinghan, becoming dizzy without having a Genjutsu cast upon him. Itachi grabbed his father by the wrist and twisted it, making a loud _crack_ing sound. His father, being the proud man he was, refused to cry out in pain, but resolved for a voluntary twitch.

"The next time you result in physical attacks, Father, I will not be so lenient. I will not perform some ludicrous _duty_ to a Village that prides me for being a _prodigy _and a _genius_. Tell me, were you not my father, and without the political pull to get certain people to notice me, would I be in this position?" Itachi carelessly tossed his Father's shattered wrist away from him and turned around, his long, shoulder length black hair blowing in the autumn wind.

"But you must listen to reason, Itachi." Fugaku said, a pleading note in voice now. _Hysteria, no doubt_, Itachi thought cruelly, smirking internally at the pitiful excuse for a human being that was his Father.

"I see no reasoning, Father. End of discussion, enough is enough." And with that, Itachi turned into the mansion/manor and snapped the door shut, leaving Fugaku standing outside, green chakra flowing around his hands, healing his shattered wrist.

Author's Note:

So it seems that Itachi Uchiha is stronger than his old man at the tender age of fifteen, for that is how old he will be in this story. His current rank is ANBU Captain, which will, no doubt, play a huge role in this story. Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura are all twelve years of age, and I believe I will add them to the story frequently to avoid writer's block. Sasuke will obviously be a major character in this story, as Mikoto, their mother, and himself will have a major effect on Itachi's psyche and feelings.

I realize that this chapter is kind of short, but I will attempt to make future chapters long and full of detail.

So how did you like the prologue? Good? Bad? Read and Review and tell me what you think. 'til next chapter, see yah.


	2. Chapter 1 The Hokage's Order

The Inevitable

By: GeniusUndercover93

Pre-Chapter Summary:

Weeks after the argument with his father, and no effort whatsoever, besides doing missions for fair amounts of Ryo, Itachi is summoned to Hokage Mansion under direct order from Sarutobi himself, who, in spite of Itachi not being the perfect 'one man army,' is starting to see the Uchiha Clan as a serious liability, and focuses his attention on a certain yellow-headed bijuu…

Disclaimer:

I do not, as much as I would like too, own Naruto.

***

Chapter 1: The Hokage's Order

Almost three weeks had passed after the argument between Itachi and Fugaku; three of the longest, most boring weeks of Itachi's life. Despite periodically accepting A Ranked Missions and training on the Uchiha Personal Training Grounds, Itachi felt that this was the most boring his life had ever been. The tension between Fugaku and Itachi had elevated to the point at which Uchiha Mikoto had angrily stormed out of the room, refusing to speak to Fugaku and Itachi until they apologized to each other. Stubborn, though they were, they both knew enough about Mikoto to know that when she did not get what she wanted, she could be a right pain in the butt, seeing as how that's where you tend to always end up after she punches you square in the face. So deciding upon a truce, Fugaku and Itachi masked their dislike of each other to restore peace in their household. Sasuke, too, had sensed there was something wrong with Itachi and had managed to corner him one day after both of them had gotten back from a mission.

_Flashback:_

"What's wrong with you, Itachi? The tension is almost unbearable in the house anymore, and Mother continues to glance between you and Father, almost as if the two of you were going to rip each other's throats out at any random time." Sasuke asked. Itachi smirked despite himself, remembering when he had easily snapped Fugaku's wrist. Itachi sighed, bored, and reached over and poked Sasuke in the middle of his forehead, adding just a little chakra, causing his annoyingly nosy brother to fall backwards. "And I seriously wish you would stop that." Sasuke said, annoyed, rubbing his forehead. "Answer my question, Itachi. Why are you and Father --?"

"What does it matter to you anyway, little brother?" Itachi said, cutting off Sasuke's tirade of questions. The coldness in his tone would have made any ANBU or Jounin take off in fright, but Sasuke, born with the stubbornness of most Uchiha males continually talked.

"It matters because the tension between Father and yourself could be cut with a knife." Itachi refrained himself from rolling his eyes at Sasuke.

"What happens between Father and myself is none of your concern at this moment, Sasuke. What matters is that you continue to do your missions and be prepared to take the Chuunin Exams come next spring." Sasuke glared at his older brother,

"It is of my concern, no matter how much you'd like to think it isn't, Itachi. Even Mother --." At this, Itachi twitched, but managed to pass it off as shifting his weight to his other leg. It was all right that Sasuke or Mikoto _alone_ worried about Itachi and Fugaku's problems. But when both of them agreed with each other… " – Agrees with me that you two need to stop whatever you are doing."

"You will tell Mother that Father and I have resolved our argument and that all is well." It seemed as though Mikoto had an acute perception because though Fugaku and Itachi had masked any emotion that may have been seen while each other was in the other's vicinity, the stiffness at which they moved or the serious attitude they both had had obviously given them away.

"In other words, you want me to lie bluntly to Mother?" Itachi locked eyes with Sasuke and said,

"Not exactly. There will be something in it for you." Sasuke perked up at this and listened intently. "I am prepared to take time out of my busy schedule to train you and your associates, were you to do me a favor." Sasuke, not wanting to look too eager at this prospect, looked to think about it carefully. Itachi, however, was not fooled, and could practically feel the excitement his little brother's aura was radiating. He smirked internally.

"Wouldn't that be cheating, though?" Sasuke asked. Itachi shook his head and said,

"It would be, were I not ANBU Captain. And as your older brother, it could be pulled off as family training. Also, it would be a great asset to be trained by an ANBU Captain when you are to take the Chuunin Exams." Sasuke nodded and said,

"Very well. But if you blow me off…" He left the threat hanging, knowing that he would lose almost immediately if he were to face his brother one on one. Itachi smirked and said,

"You forget, brother, a soldier's word binds him." And he disappeared with the Body Flicker technique, no puffy clouds where he stood only nanoseconds earlier with Sasuke.

_End of Flashback._

_***_

Atop Hokage's Mountain, a large rock with the faces of the dead Hokages carved into them, the most recent Namikaze Minato the Yondaime; Itachi sat with his legs hanging over the peek of the large monument. His shoulder length black hair whipped furiously around him as cold wind blew. His onyx eyes were sharp and he was leaned up against a large stone that he had transported there by means of a modified version of the Substitution Jutsu technique that he had created himself. He wore his normal ANBU clothing and light armor, and his katana was next to him, in the unlikely event that he was ambushed.

The sun was just setting, casting its last gleam exactly where Itachi sat, the last of the warmth echoing into a dull darkness. He activated his Sharinghan, causing many of the rods in his eyes to catalyst, enabling him night vision. He could have just cast a Jutsu to see in the dark, but the Sharinghan was more proficient and was an added defense mechanism; you never knew who would attack you in the stillness of the night. He picked himself off the ground and sheathed his sword and brushed the wrinkles off his clothes.

True to his word, Itachi had started to train the famed Team Seven. They were famed due to Itachi being one of its member's older brother. Before Itachi had even approached the trio, he had stood in the bushes while they were training, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. He had seen that pink haired girl, Haruno Sakura they called her, knew a fair amount of Healing Jutsu and was a clever strategist; if only she would get over Sasuke. The _Jinchuuriki_, Uzumaki Naruto, had a large amount of raw power that, if could combined with the infinite amount of chakra that Kitsune no Kyuubi contained would make him nearly unstoppable; he, though, was extremely too cocky and loud. Sasuke, though, was another matter. Genius he was, he allowed such feeble emotions to take control over whatever control he had. Itachi decided that he would personally teach Sasuke to control his temper and try to focus on the battles, ignoring any taunts the opponent would surely throw at him.

Itachi had trained Team Seven extremely roughly, not going easy on them once. He pushed them beyond normal human endurance, Naruto, being the only human container of the Kyuubi did not complain once except when he wanted ramen. Sasuke and Sakura however complained of muscle cramps and, when they did this, Itachi would push them even harder the next day. They finally learned to shut their mouths and do what they were told. Once, Itachi had caught Sakura talking about himself and opted to eavesdrop on them instead of heading towards the top of Hokage Mountain.

_Flashback:_

"I wish your brother would stop giving us such a hard time, Sasuke-chan." Sakura said breathing roughly as though she had ran across Fire Country and back without stopping. Sasuke nodded, not wanting to waste precious breath. Naruto looked over at Sakura and grinned saying,

"What are you talking about, Sakura-chan? Itachi-san isn't pushing us hard enough if you ask me. You know what would make this day even better?" Sasuke rolled his eyes and muttered,

"No idea, but I have a feeling that we're about to find out, dobe." Naruto then screamed out,

"RAMEN!!!" And with that, he took off to Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. Sakura gaped at the yellow blur as he took off and muttered to herself,

"Where does he get all of that stamina from?" Sasuke stopped and said,

"Who cares? He's just a dobe." Sakura blushed, realizing that she had Sasuke to herself at this moment and said,

"So, Sasuke-chan, would you like to go --." Sasuke raised his hand and shushed her, taking out a pair of kunai.

"Someone's here." Without warning, though Itachi seen the move before it happened using his Sharinghan, threw the kunai in the direction he was in. Itachi easily and stealthily caught the kunai and dropped them to the ground, pretending that there was nothing in the bushes he was lurking in. Sasuke looked confused for a moment and said to himself, "I could have sworn I heard something in that direction…" He trailed off thinking to himself. Itachi fleetingly felt a little pride swell for Sasuke being able to detect him before releasing it as Sasuke and Sakura continued walking, Sasuke point blank refusing to even think about going on a date with her. _Fools, _Itachi thought savagely, _I could have taken them out right now if I were a Rogue Nin._ Shaking his head, he disappeared.

_End of Flashback._

_***_

Itachi snapped out of reverie and realized that he was already at the gates of the Uchiha District. He walked inside, one of the Uchiha Police Force members bowing respectively to him as he passed. Itachi continued to walk up the dark streets before turning to the elaborate mansion/manor that stood in front of him. _Although the Uchihas are a bunch of good for nothing dogs, _Itachi thought, _they do have good taste._

As he walked into the kitchen where his mother, Mikoto, stood cooking over the stove, she stopped him and asked,

"Have you been to Hokage Tower today, Itachi?" Itachi allowed a brief look of confusion to grace his handsome features before masking them again; he never could hold on to his emotions around his Mother.

"No, Mother. Why do you ask?" Mikoto shrugged and said,

"An ANBU came by earlier asking to see you. He said that it was an emergency and that you should come immediately when you get home." _I wonder what that sneaky old fool wants this time._ Itachi thought to himself, though he answered,

"Very well. I will see you once I come back." And he disappeared promptly. Mikoto sighed to herself and thought, _Between Sarutobi and Fugaku, Itachi has no chance at all._

Outside Hokage Tower, Itachi appeared, startlingly the two ANBU guards placed there to protect the main gate. _Some protection there doing, _Itachi thought as the two guards bowed nervously, allowing Itachi entrance to the Tower, _A good dog would be able to sneak in here with those two idiots placed here._ Itachi walked through the door of the Tower and climbed the stairs to the top, knocking lightly on the door to the office of the Hokage.

"Come in." An old, but strong, voice called out. Itachi slowly clicked the door open and strode in with a confident air about him. He kneeled down and said,

"You called, Lord Hokage?" Inwardly, Itachi was smirking to himself for his own theatrics. He knew that Sarutobi loved to be respected by powerful ninja, and that was what he was exactly doing. Sarutobi smiled gently and said,

"Rise, young one." Itachi rose and stood in a military posture: his hands folded behind his back, a hand clasped in the other and his feet spread shoulder width. Sarutobi continued, "I have a serious problem, you see Itachi. It has to do with the bijuu." Itachi kept his face impassive, but inside he was thinking about why the Hokage would be telling him this. "You see, the Council," he spat the word with great distaste, "would love to exterminate him for the monster they see him as. I, however, see Naruto as a great asset to the future of Konoha. What I would like you to do is take him under your wing and train him into the perfect ninja."

"In other words, Lord Hokage," Itachi began slowly, "you want me to make him into a weapon?" Sarutobi fidgeted nervously under the half crimson stare of Itachi. That was the plan, but he was hoping the young prodigy would not have caught on until it was almost over.

Itachi, however, was becoming more and more angry by the second, and it was all he could do to stop himself from morphing his eyes into the full Sharinghan and destroy the Hokage. First, the man fails to tell the Council that the Uzumaki boy is the Fourth's legacy, Itachi himself had only found out through trial and error. Then, he allows the boy to be berated when he was too young to comprehend why people hated him so much. And now he wants _him_ to train him to be train the bijuu to be Konoha's Perfect Weapon.

"And if I refuse, Lord Hokage?" Itachi asked, his voice a deadly whisper. Sarutobi fidgeted still but refused to look away from the young Uchiha.

"Then I will have no choice but to terminate your ANBU status and all missions you have completed will be null and void. You will go on trial for defying the Hokage of a Hidden Village and will be charged with treason. Must I continue?" Itachi was definitely pissed now. It would almost be worth it to disallow his talents to be learned by a child that means nothing to Konoha. But then the Hokage would find someone else to train the bijuu and his termination from ANBU would be for naught.

"What mission rank will this be, Hokage-sama?" Itachi said coldly, seeing no way out of this predicament. Sarutobi sighed inwardly and smiled triumphantly.

"It will be ranked Unranked. You will be rewarded greatly for this Itachi. I thank you. You are dismissed."

"When shall I begin this mission, Hokage-sama?" Itachi asked.

"Immediately."

Author's Note:

Well, how was this latest addition to The Inevitable? Be sure to review, it means a lot. Thanks and the next chapter will be posted soon.


End file.
